Novato Fire Protection District

Novato Fire Protection District serves the city of Novato and surrounding unincorporated northern Marin County, California, roughly 29 miles north of San Francisco. It is an all-hazard agency delivering fire suppression, rescue, basic and advanced pre-hospital emergency medical care, and its own ALS ground ambulance transport.

The District operates five fire stations plus an administration building with a staff of roughly 80 personnel serving a population of nearly 60,000 residents. Daily operations are organized into three shifts (A, B, and C) staffing a battalion chief, four engine companies, a truck company that cross-staffs an engine, and two paramedic ambulances.

Novato Fire traces its roots to a volunteer department established in June 1894, becoming a fire district in 1926. It holds an ISO Class 2 rating and maintains additional wildland and support apparatus, including an aerial ladder truck, two Type-3 wildland engines, and a water tender that are cross-staffed as needed.

Entry-level firefighting candidates in California are hired through the Firefighter Candidate Testing Center (FCTC) system. Applicants must take the FCTC written exam and place on the Statewide Eligibility List (SEL), then apply when Novato Fire opens a Firefighter Trainee or Firefighter recruitment, which are posted through CalOpps.

Minimum qualifications for the Firefighter Trainee track include a high school diploma or equivalent. All response personnel work at either the EMT or paramedic level, and the District runs its own training division for academy and ongoing development.